Cycling Water Test Results Help

[Adam_1992]

Hey Guys,

I’ve been cycling my tank for about 2-3 weeks now and I did my first water test without the help of my LFS today. My results were:

Salinity: 1.024
Temp: 25 Degrees Celsius
dKH: 7 dKH
pH: 8.6
Ammonia: 0 - 0.1
Nitrite: About 0.5
Nitrate: Between 10 & 20

What are your thoughts on where I am with the cycle? Do you think I am almost done as my nitrites seem to be going down compared to what my LFS was telling me which was my water was polluted.

Should I be worries about these numbers at all?

 

[K7BMG]

Nope not at all.
Looks to me lime your ready for a water change and some livestock.

 

[K7BMG]

What are you planing on putting in first a fish or a coral?

 

[Adam_1992]

Just 2 Clowns to start

 

[DaddyFish]

Just 2 Clowns to start

Why does everyone start with clowns? I did several times and now regret it. I've found clowns are nearly the goldfish of saltwater, prone to carrying Brook or Ich and often handled in masses moreso than other fish. Depending on your tank size, go for one fish of a bigger size that can be had for the price of two clowns. IMO you will be happier in the long run.
Most of the clowns we get nowadays are over bred, inbred designer mutants with a mediocre immune system.

If it's clowns you want, go for three instead of two and make sure one is much larger than the other two. That drastically improves the odds you will have one turn Male and the other two remain female. If you don't want three, then just get one clown. Two clowns of the same breed and size may not get along very well after they become established.

 

[Adam_1992]

All the Clowns at my LFS are babies. They don’t have any bigger ones as yet. Probably an inch long.. I’m worried to get three straight away in case my water is not 100% safe yet.

If I get one Clown now can I get another later down the track in a couple weeks?

 

[K7BMG]

I understand what he means by Clowns.
But hey its your tank.
There are solid ways to add fish to your tank and more aggressive fish should be last.
You should have been quarantining your first fish while you were cycling.
You dont want to infect your tank.

 

[Adam_1992]

Issue is I don’t have enough space/tanks for that just yet.

I don’t know why to do. My LSF told me to wait a week after I bought carbon to add to the tank because he thinks something has polluted my water but my results are above in the test I did.

 

[DaddyFish]

Issue is I don’t have enough space/tanks for that just yet.

I don’t know why to do. My LSF told me to wait a week after I bought carbon to add to the tank because he thinks something has polluted my water but my results are above in the test I did.

Standard water tests won't show anything that carbon typically removes. Carbon removes heavy metals, toxins, color and odors. None of which are part of the Nitrogen Cycle that's measured by the standard water tests.
Running carbon is good. Changing that carbon regularly is critical. Use the 1/4- cup per 10-gallons of tank rule for how much carbon to use.

And yes, you can start with one clown and add another one later. The second one is best if it's a different type of clown, unless you have a large tank where they can either be lovers or distant neighbors.

 

[K7BMG]

I would find room for a 10 or 20 gallon tank for a QT.
In the long run you will have a healthier tank and a more positive experience.

These threads can only be helpful dependant on the input of accurate information.
I guess to give you proper advice on your cycle we need more information from you.
I say this because twice now you have mentioned your LFS guy says your tank is poluted.
What exactly is it poluted with?

I guess some added questions from us are needed.

When did you start the tank cycling?
What water did you use to mix your salt in?
What salt mix are you using?
How did you cycle the tank?
Added what beneficial bacteria?
What ammonia sourse did you use?
How high did your ammonia get?
What filtration system are you using?
What media are you using? Rock sand combination of?
What type of rock and or sand are you using? Dry, Live, new, old, garage sale?
Have you thoroughly researched and understand the nitrogen cycle?
What test kits do you have?

What LFS are you using?
Big box or local Mom and Pop?

Also it can be very helpfull to load pictures of everything.
Tank, filtration, lights.

I know this is a lot of questions but to properly help you we must have this information.
It could be your fine and your LFS person is maybe not so good, or they are great and know something we are not aware of.

 

[Adam_1992]

I'll definitely look into a QT tank ASAP and aim to get one ASAP! I'm actually in talks to purchase two 120L tanks with sumps next week or so...

Also, yes you are correct the LFS said that he thinks my tank is polluted with something because when he ran the Nitrite & Nitrate test the colour changed instantly instead of being the usual 9 mins to wait. I have not put anything in the tank other than bottled bac & dechlorinator. My only guess is perhaps a little amont of soap probaly got in, but that shouldn't have that sort of affect for such a tiny amount?

I stopped relying on my LFS for tests and ran my own yesterday and got the below results:
Alkalinity: 1.024
Temp: 25 Degrees Celsius
dKH: 7 dKH
pH: 8.6
Ammonia: 0 - 0.1
Nitrite: About 0.5
Nitrate: Between 10 & 20

And to answer some of your Q's...

When did you start the tank cycling?
July 6 2020

What water did you use to mix your salt in?
Tap water (with Seachem Prime added to it). I know it's not the best, but can't find RO or RODI water anywhere in Sydney.

What salt mix are you using?
Red Sea Coral Pro Salt

How did you cycle the tank?
I cycled the tank by letting it run with bottles bacteria (Nutrafin Cycle), added some fish food and left it to do it's thing. I'm keeping the LED light off for two weeks or so to ensure min Algae.

Added what beneficial bacteria?
Nutrafin Cycle is what the LFS recommended to me.

What ammonia sourse did you use?
Fish Food. Pellets to be exact. One pinch once, and then again a couple days later.

How high did your ammonia get?
Initially it must of been high, however by the time I checked it was only at 0 - 0.1

What filtration system are you using?
Three compartment cartridge filter with sponge, carbon & bio rocks. I will move to a sump later down the track, however just starting out with this for now.

What media are you using? Rock sand combination of?
Red Sea Reef Base

What type of rock and or sand are you using? Dry, Live, new, old, garage sale?
Sand as above. I'm using dry new rock purchased from the LFS.

Have you thoroughly researched and understand the nitrogen cycle?
Yes - I've read the articles on here and seen many videos explaining the process now.

What test kits do you have?
Red Sea Marine Care Test Kit

What LFS are you using?
My local LFS. The major LFS in Aust don't have much on Marine here!

Will send photos as soon as I can!

 

[Adam_1992]

Also please see some images here:

 

[K7BMG]

Ok thanks for the information.

A few pinches of fish food I don't think would be sufficient enough to truly start the nitrogen cycle.
I would recommend getting a small raw shrimp from the store and drop it in the tank.
Leave it in to decay for two or three days then check your ammonia level.
It should be at or hopefully above 1.0 to 2.0.
Test ammonia everyday and watch it raise and drop.
After it drops to 0 then wait a for a week and test both Nitrite and Nitrate.
You can test and watch the rise and fall of Nitrite if you want but I have never felt this was necessary.
So once you see the Nitrate spike it will be time to do a 70% or more water change.
Wait another few days then test for everything.
At that point If you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and a small amount of nitrate then its time to start adding the livestock.

IMO your lights should be on a normal schedule.
Algae is part of the natural cycling system, and lets you know your tank is coming to life.

 

[DaddyFish]

Something to keep in mind since you are using a tap water source with Seachem Prime...

If your tap water has chloramines or is heavily chlorinated, Prime only binds them for roughly 48-hours, giving your biofilter time to break them down to nitrites. So if your tank is not well-established and cycled, your biofilter may not have sufficient live BB and the chloramines/chlorine could be re-released.

I recommend you at least run the tap water slowly through a carbon block filter before adding Prime, then salt etc. That will greatly reduce, possibly eliminate the chloramine/chlorine and many other common contaminants. The Prime will then finish off the rest.

I share this because I had a very similar problem when I setup my first tanks and tried to use tapwater with Prime and many other water treatment solutions. My local water supply had high levels of chlorination that wasn't getting eliminated, no matter how much Prime I used. The result was the killing off of BB in every tank, every time I did a substantial water change (> 10%). Of course everyone kept saying "change water, change more water, change water more often...") and I kept killing fish along with killing the cycle on every tank.

 

[Adam_1992]

I do have a lot of biofilm (clear slimy stuff) all on the heater and around and in some places of the tank also. Is this a sign of cycling?

As mentioned before I’m looking for a shop to purchase RODI water or some form of safe water to use. If anyone here lives in Australia and has an option that I could use please let me know.

 

[Adam_1992]

Another question I also have is my filter sort of just dumps the water once it’s filtered, hence the few big air bubbles at the top of the tank. Will this cause issues?
I was thinking of buying a flexible outlet pipe to shove in there to stop all those bubbles. Is this necessary or not?

 

[K7BMG]

A quick internet search shows that Coles sells distilled water.
This is not perfect either but it is better than tap water treated with Prime.
Does your LFS sell RO/DI water?
I understand your not near Gallery Aquatica as they are in Sydney, but you can reach them by phone, I am sure, and ask what they recommend you do or maybe they sell RO/DI units.
They have very informative videos on YouTube. Awesome research tool for you.
Click here
This link will take you to an episode they made to service a RO/DI system.
This system obviously is available in Australia market. BOSS RODI unit from PSI.

 

[Adam_1992]

That’s correct. I did see the distilled water. I found 5L for $5 from the below store, but someone on here mentioned it wasn’t a good idea..

https://www.bigw.com.au/product/refresh-demineralised-distilled-water-5l/p/663560/
Also my local LFS only sell ocean water taken from a local beach, however that water is terrible there as it’s right under our Airport.

 

[K7BMG]

Just know that the effort and money spent on the water is the first and one of the most important things you can do for your reef.

Perfect water will avoid many issues down the road.

 

[Adam_1992]

Just know that the effort and money spent on the water is the first and one of the most important things you can do for your reef.

Perfect water will avoid many issues down the road.

Makes sense! Do you think the above water will work until I can grab myself a RODI unit? Also do I need to add Conditioner or anything to that kind of demineralised distilled water?